A Japanese lawmaker said his country would like ''to see government-to-government (G2G) cooperation on strengthening the defense industry, which is a priority''

Japan-Philippines Parliamentarians Friendship League (JPPFL) chairman Moriyama Hiroshi said his government was impressed with the Philippines' performance in joint military exercises.

“ That’s why regarding the OSA, Official Security Assistance, the Philippines is one of the first candidate countries for OSA,” Hiroshi said.

Marcos said the support by Japan to the country is ''valuable.''

“The support that we are receiving from Japan in this regard, in terms of our equipment, in terms of our interoperability operations, are valuable, I think, for both our countries and I believe that we should strengthen that. We should continue that and continue to be in partnership as we face the different, volatile situations that we have in our region,” Marcos said.

He thanked Moriyama for Japan's technology transfer for agriculture and financial support for infrastructure projects. DMS